Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender, Ronaldo Souza, is fighting for more than just the win next month in the “Big Apple,” as “Jacare” looks to become the first Brazilian to defeat Chris Weidman in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Many have tried before, including Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort, and failed miserably.
In addition to stopping the “All American” ex-champion, Souza wants to punch his ticket to the ever-elusive middleweight title shot. He’s been close before, but came up short against Yoel Romero, as well as Robert Whittaker.
“Whoever wins will be up there,” Souza told MMA Fighting. “That’s a fact and I don’t even need to talk too much about it. I want to get in there, win — and win convincingly — and then say ‘brother, I’ll sit down and only call me if you’re going to talk about the belt.’ Everyone else is injured, there’s no one else to fight. My focus is on this fight, of course, but everybody knows that this fight will take me up there.”
The clock is ticking for Souza (25-6), who at age 38, is unlikely to get anywhere near the title with a loss to Weidman. Their 185-pound pairing co-headlines the upcoming UFC 230 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Nov. 3 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The same can probably be said for the 14-3 “All American,” who is just 1-4 over the last three years, having been finished in all three losses. Weidman turned 34 back in June and has battled injuries for most of his career.
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